Part 3: A Tavola con Ellynne in Italia
Written on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the Wind Cafe in Lido, Venezia, Italia
Wonderful food is everywhere here in Venice and on the surrounding islands. From very simple fare such as pizzas and sandwiches, to fancy dinners at fancy restaurants, not to mention desserts and fresh produce and pastry shops on practically every corner, there are so many choices to be made in a day.
Our day begins with breakfast in the garden at the Villa Ines Bed and Breakfast on Lido. We are treated to a variety of filled croissants (jam or Nutella) plus fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, apricots, peaches and kiwis) plus an array of jams, cream cheese and Babybel cheese in addition to tea, coffee, orange juice and water.
On June 19 we headed out to Murano for the day for a tour of the Seguso Glass Factory Furnace. It was almost hotter outside than inside (and it was pretty hot inside) but we had a thrilling demonstration of glass making, not generally available to the public. I will never again question the expense of Murano glass. We observed 4 workers attending to one beautiful vase placing into and then out of the fire repeatedly as they formed the piece for 45 minutes and even then it was not finished. We stopped briefly for something to drink, but as we were in a hurry to catch the vaporetti for the island of Torcello, we did not eat anything. So we felt entitled to an ice cream cone once we arrived on Torcello. We toured the Bascilica (a fascinating tour that took us behind the altar where the old crypts were located) and the tiny Chiesa of Santa Fosca. And on the way back to the vaporetti stop we had a lovely afternoon snack of white wine and corn chips.
Returning to Lido, we met our friends at 8 pm at the local Pizzeria Ristorante and my dinner was a delicious Pizza Carciofi…pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and artichokes. My friend had pizza with tonnato and she declared that tuna fish really does not belong on a pizza.
The next day, we were back in Venice to find bead shops. We had mixed results. We did manage to find the exact spot of an Antiquario (antique) bottega di perla (bead shop) but unfortunately it was closed. But just finding it was the high point of the day. Just finding anything you are searching for in Venice can be a highlight of your day, due to the labyrinth of streets. We will stop back another time. After a brief stop for my friend to enjoy a beer and for me
